‘Aston Villa have PSR shortfall’ as sale on the cards – Stefan Borson
Aston Villa could be set to make another big sale as they are facing profit and sustainability (PSR) issues again this season.
Under the PSR rules, top-flight clubs are only permitted to lose £105million over a rolling three-year period.
Villa posted a club-record revenue in 2023-24 after their turnover increased from £217.7million in 2022-23 to £275.7million, while their losses fell from £119.6million to £85.4million.
Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman all moved on before last year’s accounting deadline to help them avoid a spending breach.
The Mail reported on 7 May the West Midlands giants need to make at least one significant sale before 30 June to avoid breaching the PSR rules.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Unai Emery’s side do have a PSR shortfall again this season.
Villa are believed to be exploring selling stakes in their women’s team to help them comply with the spending rules.
Chelsea sold their women’s team to owners BlueCo last summer for around £200million, helping them turn their previous £90million loss for 2022-23 into a £128million profit for last season.
Aston Villa could face ‘£6m’ hit
Borson revealed Villa could face a £6million swing in prize money depending on where they finish this season, having moved up to sixth place following their victory over Bournemouth.
He told Football Insider: “You would assume that the Mail have written that piece having had guidance from the club rather than just listening to what other people have said on social media.
“They have said themselves that they were thinking about selling the women’s team, so it’s hardly a big shot. You wouldn’t sell the women’s team or a share of the women’s team unless you needed it for PSR.
“You would keep it in your back pocket for another day further down the line, so they definitely do have a shortfall. It is impossible to say right now what that shortfall looks like.
“I think if you look at them versus their budget, I think they probably made more money from the Champions League than they expected. I would think they probably made another £20million above their budget from the Champions League.
“They probably made more from the Duran sale than they expected profit-wise. That maybe cancels out some of the costs that they had then to build the team in January to go for the Champions League.
“Let’s say they were £20million above budget for Duran and maybe £20million above budget for the Champions League, but probably something like £25million more expenditure for Champions League bonuses and for signings in January.
“It may be more than £25million. It could be £30million, so they’re not massively up on their budget. Then there’s the league position. We just don’t know where they’re going to finish. They still feasibly could finish in the top five, but they could finish seventh.
“That in itself is worth £5-6million between those two positions, so it’s very hard to be very precise as to where they are.”
Aston Villa could agree Ollie Watkins deal after Arsenal swoop
Villa could be ready to sell Ollie Watkins in the summer transfer window despite him scoring the winning goal against Bournemouth.
Football Insider revealed on 2 May Arsenal are planning to reignite their bid to sign Watkins once the window reopens.
| Appearances | 52 |
| Goals | 17 |
| Assists | 13 |
Villa knocked back a £50million offer from the London giants for the 29-year-old in January after he’s been a key player for the club over the past five years.
For more Aston Villa and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.